The Great Reset: How the Post-Crash Economy Will Change the Way We Live and Work - Richard Florida [epub]

From Publishers Weekly
In this optimistic but too-broad look at the present economic crisis and the opportunities it presents, social and business commentator Florida (The Rise of the Creative Class) examines the latest of the "Great Resets," moments of transformative upheaval (like the Great Depression) "when new technologies and technological systems arise, when the economy is recast and society remade, and when the places where we live and work change to suit new needs." Though he cautions that "not all Resets are the same," and presents enough real-life examples, Florida too often rushes back to neat generalities and cheerleading: "we must do all we can to turn service jobs into more innovative, more engaging, more fulfilling and much better-paid work." Florida also has a tendency toward gratuitous personal stories. Though the book would have benefited from fewer platitudes and authorial intrusions, the problem that looms largest for Florida-and other post-crash survival guide authors-is that the national economic calamity hasn't fully played itself out, meaning that the ability of any observer to describe the specifics of its turnaround are necessarily limited.


Review
“In his usual lucid and compelling way, Florida argues that elected officials ‘need to get over their love affair with big renewal projects’ and steer money toward neighborhood ventures that improve people’s lives.” (—Harvard Business Review)

“Enticingly contrarian” (—New York Post)

“The Great Reset is an interesting, provocative and intelligent book. Florida is a witty and entertaining writer…It’s well worth reading as a starting point for the future that’s coming our way whether we’re ready or not.” (—Miami Herald)

“Richard Florida can be counted among the great prophets of our age. This incredibly interesting and well-written commentator on the socio-economics of the modern era has hit yet another grand slam, eclipsing his phenomenal ‘Rise of the Creative Class.’” (—Falls Church News-Press)

“A breath of fresh air for anyone hoping that Americans (and economists) will learn from their past mistakes.” (—The Daily Beast)

“A thoughtful, generally hopeful assessment of where we are now, how we got here—and how we can rebuild in the future.” (—BizEd magazine)

“Useful in inspiring thinking about the future of communities, of different types of jobs, and of the nature of work itself.” (—The Conference Board Review)

“The Great Reset shows how new technology and the new geographies of living and working come together to drive recovery….must reading for anyone who wants to understand where we are now and where we are headed.” (—Chris Anderson, editor, Wired magazine)

“This timely and thought-provoking book gives us important insights into the reshaping of America’s economic and physical landscape.” (—Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University)

From the Back Cover

We've weathered tough times before. History teaches us that periods of "creative destruction," like the Great Depression of the 1930s, also present opportunities to remake our economy and society and to generate whole new eras of economic growth and prosperity. In The Great Reset, bestselling author and economic development expert Richard Florida provides an engaging and sweeping examination of these previous economic epochs, or "resets," while looking toward the future to identify the patterns that will drive the next Great Reset and transform virtually every aspect of our lives. He distills the deep forces that alter physical and social landscapes—how and where we live, how we work, how we invest in individuals and infrastructure, how we shape our cities and regions—and shows the ways in which these forces, when combined, will spur a fresh era of growth and prosperity, define a new geography of progress, and create surprising opportunities for all of us.

About the Author

Author of the bestselling The Rise of the Creative Class and Who's Your City? Richard Florida is a regular columnist for The Atlantic. He has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and other publications. His multiple awards and accolades include the Harvard Business Review's Breakthrough Idea of the Year. He was named one of Esquire magazine's Best and Brightest (2005) and one of BusinessWeek's Voices of Innovation (2006). He lives in Toronto, Canada.